“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38) These, you’ll recall, were the surprising words of the Blessed Virgin Mary in response to the angel Gabriel’s message that she was to give birth to the “Son of the Most High.” The surprise in her response is that she, it seems evident, had already made some kind of personal vow of celibacy to the Lord: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man” (Lk 1:34).
Remember, Mary was already legally married by the time the angel Gabriel appeared to her even though she and Joseph had not moved in together yet (this was the custom of the Jews at that time). Therefore, if she hadn’t made some kind of promise to God to remain a virgin for the rest of her life, her question, “How can this be…?” doesn’t make much sense. Wouldn’t she just assume that she and Joseph would conceive the child naturally once they moved in together? In light of this, we must allow ourselves to be struck by the radical trust Mary had placed in the Lord in allowing Him to surprise her with what was totally unexpected. Her whole life, all of her future plans, dreams, hopes… were changed in the moment she said yes to the Lord’s request of her.
The surprise to be discovered in Mary’s response extends also into her actions. For, after she hears and accepts her mission to give birth to the Son of God, she does what probably none of us would have done, namely, she chose to go and serve her relative, Elizabeth who was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Most of us (correct me if I am wrong), upon hearing that we were being entrusted with a special mission from God would likely start immediately trying to figure out how we can best do that. We would likely feel a great deal of anxiety. We would be self-focused instead of other-focused. This is where Mary is a marvelous witness to us of not only trust in the Lord but also of her charity (her other-focused perspective).
Here is the formula as it played out in Mary’s life:
She responds with deep trust in the Lord’s plan over her own.
She reaches out to another in need instead of focusing on herself.
What things are happening in your life right now that are
unexpected? I encourage you to respond as Mary did. Can you trust in the Lord’s plan? Moreover, can you become other-focused in this time of the unexpected?
Let me emphasize this latter point. As we are experiencing more distance from one another as we’re not able to publicly celebrate the mass together and since the executive order from Governor Walz to “shelter-at-home” has taken effect, this is a time to draw closer to one another through the gift of charity. I don’t mean physically closer (at least in most cases). Rather, how important it is for us to be:
Praying for one another
Offering to buy groceries for those who can’t get out of their residence
Making phone calls to those you think might be experiencing loneliness
Donating money or food to local food shelves
Praying some prayers together on the phone or via social media
…
You get the idea. If we continue to trust deeply in the Lord’s plans for our life and remain other-focused in charity, we will indeed be blessed,
and it will be for us something totally unexpected!
Note: Thanks to so many of you who have reached out to both Fr. Sandquist and me during the last week to assure us of your prayers and for providing us with meals, cards, little gifts and the like. We are so touched by your love and kindness toward us! Remember that we are holding all parishioners in our prayers, especially while we are celebrating the Holy Mass.